Danny Ainge has said he is considering adding ‘shooting with size’ for the Celtics in recent weeks, and a prominent new name has appeared at the front in the open market ahead of the March 25 deadline in LaMarcus Aldridge.
The big man from Spurs, according to Gregg Popovich, on Wednesday “mutually agreed” to separate from each other, and Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN.com reported on Wednesday night that the team is pursuing trading options for Aldridge in several areas.
Aldridge, 35, averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in his 14th season in the league and is on a current contract worth $ 24 million in 2020-21. He also had health care in San Antonio this year, missing eight of his last 11 games due to a hip and four-wheel injury.
The Celtics have the means to trade for the declining veteran, but the question is whether there is a suitable one that could make sense for both sides. Let’s look at the factors at play to get a better idea of the possible similarity.
The money
Aldridge is making a lot of money for his skill at this stage of his career and although his $ 24 million deal does fit into the $ 28.5 million trade exception, the Celtics will still not be able to add him without sending out a salary. due to the hard salary cap for the year. Boston currently has $ 19.6 million under the hood, which means the Celtics will have to clear just under $ 5 million salary to take Aldridge’s salary to the TPE.
There is also the issue of luxury taxes. The Celtics are currently $ 13.6 million below the tax limit and there are strong benefits for the team to stay under tax this season, including delaying the recurring tax to play for future seasons for Boston, which will be useful for financial flexibility since Boston’s payroll is shooting up significantly when Jayson Tatum’s maximum extension begins next year. Danny Ainge said the team is willing to pay the tax this year, but only for a player who delivers a significant upgrade. Whether Aldridge is that man at that point in his career can be discussed.
TPE scenarios
The Celtics are currently predicting a pressure with Tristan Thompson, Daniel Theis and Robert Williams all sharing minutes in the middle. With Marcus Smart returning from a calf injury on Thursday night against Brooklyn Nets, it will be a big task to get enough minutes for everyone in the group, with double big groups not doing well on paper for the team (except the few used Theis / Rob Williams combination).
Needless to say, there would not be enough space to give Aldridge the role in Boston without moving one of these guys elsewhere. From a financial standpoint, Thompson and his $ 9.2 million salary would move to get enough room to fit Aldridge’s money into Boston’s TPE and fit comfortably under the hard hood. About $ 4 million more needs to be moved on top of Thompson for Celtics not to pay the tax.
Would Thompson and an asset for Aldridge work on paper? Yes, but the Celtics probably have much bigger aspirations with their exceptional exception than a 34-year-old who has a deal. Boston will be able to rejoin Aldridge at Bird Rights after the season if they acquire him in a deal, but his age is not in line with the young core of the team. Bringing in an elderly veteran for half a season does not seem like an effective way to use the TPE, especially with no guarantee that Aldridge will want to stay in Boston beyond this year.
Would any other trade make sense for Boston without using their TPE?
Realistically, there is a way the Celtics can trade for Aldridge without using the TPE, but it’s a move the franchise would probably not consider strongly at the moment and that Kemba Walker is dealing with. The money is working between the duo for salary adjustments, and it will help Boston clean up future salary books for an impending luxury tax crisis if they want to add another big name this off-season, with their big exception on the traded player and still below the budget wants to stay.
However, this type of blockbuster transaction is an extremely long shot for obvious reasons. The Celtics have shown no interest in moving Walker during this season and the Spurs have a very long list of young guards under contract for the next few seasons (Derrick White, Lonnie Walker, Dejounte Murray) who have their desire for a 30- bring in years. -old Walker earns in all probability extremely low. The Celtics can make it to the Spurs’ by adding young players or putting up assets in a hypothetical exchange, but Walker’s strong play over the past few weeks probably does not give Boston the tendency to kind of stir in the middle of the season. which will be much more focused on improving future flexibility. at the expense of downgrading talent in the present.
Final thoughts
A rejuvenated Aldridge could be a big help to some candidates in the coming weeks, but from Boston’s point of view, the moving parts don’t make much sense. Upgrading from Thompson to Aldridge would be a plus, but the Celtics need to aim higher with their TPE. Aldridge is no longer worth it at this stage of his career, unless it’s a move that also creates significant wage flexibility for another major talent upgrade in Boston in the future.